I just read a story in the Pioneer Press that reported that returning servicemen from Iraq and Afghanistan bring aggressive, self-preserving driving habits home with them when they return to the states. A quarter of those surveyed indicated that they had run through a stop sign or driven down the middle of the road without regard to oncoming traffic; not polite (or legal) driving practices in the states but necessary in a war zone.
Haiti is a war zone in God’s war on hunger, poverty and despair. After spending less than a week on this battleground island only an hour and a half south of Miami, I can appreciate the behavior of our returning servicemen and women. The worlds of peace and war do not easily mesh.
It is hard to believe that an hour and a half flight can separates these two radically disparate realities. It truly cannot be understood without stepping foot in both worlds while dragging one’s eyes, heart, and soul along for the ride. The return to the states brings with it changed eyes and a transformed heart with holdover behaviors that follow their lead.
The shock of returning home is often found in the simplest of things. I was not prepared for the sensory overload when I entered the grocery store on Saturday morning. All of the food displayed with its color, smells, and abundance experienced in the shadow of travels among God’s starving children blew me away. Our ready and available access to just about any food we can imagine is something that I hope I will never again take for granted.
Saying table grace has new meaning. Portion size suddenly matters. Food has become the holy gift that it has always been. The spoils of this war are a valuable treasure- a return home with a renewed heart for neighbors near and far.
